Adventures of a Philosopher

Hi, I’m Steve, a graduate student in philosophy at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. I’ve just started customizing WordPress, so bear with me as I work to launch my blog by Jan 2017. This is a temporary placeholder until I can find a WordPress theme that I like, and create content.

My main interest is in the metaphysics of the person. I’m also very interested in the philosophy of language, and whether we can objectively (mind-independently) know anything apart, perhaps, from the fact that at least temporarily, there is something rather than nothing at all. We create much of our world through language, in which is embedded logic. But when quantum mechanics challenges the tautology A v ~A, and we come to understand that there are multiple systems of logic that contradict one another, I believe that we ought to be epistemically humble.

I used to think that science would eventually answer all empirical questions that can be asked. Now, I’m not so confident. I also used to think that physicalism was the obvious metaphysical position, which left us with a rather grim picture of our destinies: the permanent oblivion of consciousness at or before brain death. But now, I wonder.

Philosophy tries to pry open the gates of knowledge, and to climb mental mountains, to think more lucidly and deeply, and to see more clearly. Standing on the shoulders of giants, I’ve glimpsed breathtaking beauty, but I know all too well the difficulty of the climb and the likelihood of falling.

I look forward to sharing my intellectual adventures here, and I hope that you’ll share yours.